Point Task 1 – Topic 1
Season 26 for the ISFL could be described as an ironic oxymoron. Season 26 was an anticlimactic chaos. To put in perspective, Season 26 is reminiscent of the late 1980’s and early 1990’s NFL playoffs --- the AFC sends a litany of happy-go-luck stories to the Super Bowl only for the 49ers or Cowboys to mercilessly destroy them. The iconic stories of the Broncos, Bengals, and Bills all ended with unceremonious thumpings by Dallas, San Francisco, New York, or Washington. Season 26 ran a similar course to these seasons. In the ASFC, the madness ensued relentlessly from week 1 to week 16, as conference standings flipped around nonstop to a point where the playoff teams had to be decided by a 5-way tiebreaker. In addition, the playoffs were quite quirky as well with several shocking stipulations. Meanwhile in the NSFC, one team established their dominance by the mid-point and despite some tight playoff contests, rolled their way to the title game where they unleased their final form and made the title game as boring as possible.In the NSFC, Philadelphia finished last, which was not surprising given how much turmoil they endured the past two seasons. The Liberty essentially reached a point where they needed the league to intervene to ensure the proper, committed individuals could take over after internal strife and conflict caused several key players to depart and GM’s to step down --- leaving the Liberty barren. The Liberty had one of the worst defenses in the league and need to take all the BPA’s they can. The Hawks were seen as a darkhorse to sneak into the playoffs but they regressed yet again. Ever since S24, the Hawks have not been able to string two solid seasons together. The Hawks lack of success can be attributed to their inability to retain talent. For one reason or another, the Hawks bleed talent and their lack of success has created a negative stigma on the team. Berlin and Colorado were the other two non-playoff teams and appear to be trending in opposite directions.
Colorado, after a run of Ultimus appearances(note, appearances, not victories), has underwent a transitional phase, moving on from McDummy to Caliban. But McDummy is not the only key cog missing. Since expansion, Colorado has lost key players like Kingston, Thumper, Sauce, Scott, and most recently Williams. Colorado still has enough talent to not bottom out, but they definitely need to fill some holes on their defense and bide their time until Caliban is fully developed. Berlin, on the other hand, had a horrific 0-5 start that left them one game out of the final playoff spot. Berlin is punching above their weight, but they are young and still could use some extra weapons for Kaepercolin.
Sarasota and Chicago both carried balanced, veteran-laden rosters into the season and the skilled war rooms pushed both teams over the edge and to a tightly contested playoff matchup. Some people saw Sarasota lucking out in the expansion draft and having enough juice to make a big run this year whereas others saw the departure of Dex Banks as the departure of their good fortune. Sarasota got off to a near perfect start but imploded down the stretch, likely due to their horrific rushing attack. Chicago pretty much stayed the course during the season but flamed out in the playoffs. Sarasota, however, were one more solid possession from making the Ultimus.
The AFSC carried on like a full-fledged royal rumble. Every match, league, and such has a jobber --- the typical mid-card fighter that gets a brief moment of shine but is ultimately set up to get wrecked. Honolulu decided to play the jobber role as perfect as Bad Ass Billy Gunn going from Degeneration-X at its peak, to being roasted by the The Rock after finally given a chance to hold some status, and completely written off the show with no fanfare. Honolulu easily secured the 1st overall pick and crumbled all the way after a promising season in S25. Arizona, the Shawn Michaels of the group, the longtime member that has a slightly tarnished legacy due to controversy despite being quite successful, wasted another year of Jay Cue after finally getting him his first playoff appearance last season--- TWO SEASONS into his regression. The Outlaws were 8-8 and yet still couldn’t manage to tie the other 5 teams. The Sabrecats could be described as Mankind, Catcus Jack, Dude Love, or any of Mick Foley’s characters. The underdog that scrapped their way to make a name for themselves and after YEARS of being taken as comic relief and a prop, finally commanded respect, however brief it lasted. San Jose could only hold the spotlight for so long before the big icons took their spots back. Austin, as it cheesy as this will sound, were the Stone Cold Steve Austin of the group. They didn’t build the league up, but they raised the floor. They quickly found success by operating on the edge but bad luck and poor timing that has left them on the outside of the playoffs again due to unlucky circumstances despite being a strong outfit, akin to Austin after his return from is broken neck.
New York, who came out of nowhere, stormed their way to the #1 seed --- similar to the emergence of The Big Show and his instant star status around the league. I bet several people are regretting passing on New York the same way WCW decided to release him because they were too short-sighted to see the budding potential.
Orange County is The Rock, the most polarizing figure there can be. Oscillating between heel and face but the constant remains: they command the room and know how to stay successful in their ventures. Orange County has yet to miss the playoffs and even in a down year, they managed to sneak their way in despite taking the backdoor route, a la The Rock joining the corporation. But both teams were unable to stop or kill the undead beast: New Orleans.
New Orleans would represent The Undertaker, no matter how many years, how many fights, how many incidents --- you cant bury the ‘Taker. New Orleans rose from their proverbial grave last season to clinch the 3rd seed and knock off Orange County IN ORANGE COUNTY before somehow transporting their New York duel to Louisiana.
After their remarkable run, New Orleans matched up with Yellowknife only to be thoroughly shredded by the up and coming Wraiths. Yellowknife had a very solid S25 despite their deceptive record. With the likes of Jack, Sakura, Vermillion, and the young studs they have on defense poised to supplant the older guard, Yellowknife is positioned to dominant over the next several seasons.
